Luis Diaz started for Liverpool hours after his kidnapped father was released but lost 3-2 to Toulouse on Thursday as West Ham ensured they have European football in 2024 and Leverkusen progress.

The stunning upset in France came courtesy of goals from Aron Donnum, Thijs Dallinga and Frank Magri as Liverpool sank to their first defeat in the Europa League this campaign.

However, the game was not without controversy with VAR intervening to rule out an equaliser deep in injury-time from Jarell Quansah.

“It was well deserved to lose because they won pretty much all the decisive challenges, battles,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as his side missed a chance to book their place in the knock-out stages.

Toulouse now sit on seven points, two behind the Premier League club and three ahead of third-placed St Gilloise in Group E.

With 36 minutes gone, Donnum pounced on Kostas Tsimikas and robbed him of possession before slotting home via a deflection to give Toulouse the lead at the break.

The buoyant hosts got a second when Dallinga took a touch in the box and drilled past Caoimhin Kelleher on 58 minutes.

An own goal from Cristian Casseres on 73 minutes gave Liverpool a lifeline but the hosts, pushed on by a vibrant home crowd, punched back immediately.

Three minutes later, Kelleher could not hold a firmly hit cross and Magri was on hand to restore Toulouse’s two-goal buffer.

Diogo Jota, on for Diaz, struck a second for Liverpool in the 89th minute.

The hosts were able to see the game out to claim a precious three points, but not before an equaliser seven minutes into injury-time by Quansah was ruled out after video review for an adjudged handball much earlier in the build-up.

– West Ham’s journey continues –

Last year’s Europa Conference League winners West Ham ground down Olympiakos with a Lucas Paqueta goal on 73 minutes being the difference between the two sides.

The win moves them top of Group A and with nine points they are assured of either Europa League or Europa Conference League football in the new year.

Villarreal beat Maccabi Haifa 2-0 in Larnaca, Cyprus with the fixture moved due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Rennes ran out 3-1 winners against Greece’s Panathinaikos, while fellow French side Marseille went top of Group B with a 2-0 win at AEK Athens.

In Group B, Brighton took a big step towards booking their place in the knock-out stage with a comfortable 2-0 win away to Ajax.

Goals either side of the break from Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra gave the Seagulls a famous win on the home turf of European royalty.

The Premier League team now have seven points and sit three clear of AEK Athens in third place.

Rangers gained a crucial three points over Sparta Prague with a 2-1 home victory thanks to Danilo and Todd Cantwell.

Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen wrapped up qualification for the knock-out stages with a 1-0 win in Baku against Group H rivals Qarabag.

A Victor Boniface penalty in the fourth minute of second-half injury-time was enough to give Xabi Alonso’s side a fourth win in four.

With Liverpool and Roma losing, Leverkusen are the only side to have booked their place in the next stage of the competition.

– Slavia sack Rome –
The second biggest surprise of the night came in Prague when Slavia Prague downed Jose Mourinho’s Roma 2-0 to leapfrog the Italians into first place in Group G.

“I can’t explain this. I don’t know myself,” said Mourinho. “I’ll be honest — Slavia extremely deserved to win and Roma extremely deserved to lose.”

Strikes from Vaclav Jurecka in the 50th minute and Lukas Masopust 16 minutes from time inflicted Roma’s first defeat of the campaign and moved Slavia to top spot with nine points, level with the visitors.

In the group’s other game, Swiss side Servette beat Sheriff Tiraspol 2-1 thanks to a 92nd minute penalty by Chris Bedia.

[OpinionNigeria]

VAR was supposed to help cut out egregious and costly refereeing mistakes but the technology has come under heavy fire from Premier League managers who have lost faith in the system.

The video assistant referee was introduced in the 2019/20 season for “clear and obvious errors” or “serious missed incidents” in specific situations.

The promise was that it would lead to “more correct and fairer judgements”, even though the Premier League conceded that 100 percent accuracy was impossible.

But feelings are running high after high-profile incidents that have overshadowed the action on the pitch.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta launched a blistering attack on the decision to let Newcastle’s goal stand after his team’s 1-0 defeat last weekend, labelling it a “disgrace”.

Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal was checked for three separate VAR offences but survived them all to earn Newcastle the three points.

“We didn’t deserve to lose the match,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. A disgrace.”

The Spaniard’s comments were made in the heat of the moment but the club came out strongly in support of their manager in a statement the following day.

“Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening,” Arsenal said.

– ‘Sporting integrity’ –

The angry fallout after the game at St James’ Park echoed another VAR controversy in the high-stakes fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool in late September.

Officials wrongly disallowed a goal from Luis Diaz after a misunderstanding over the on-field decision and Spurs went on to win 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Referees body Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) released the audio of the decision that led to the disallowed Diaz goal.

In the recording, video assistant referee Darren England says the check is “perfect” before swearing when he realises a mistake has been made. “They’ve restarted the game. Can’t do anything, can’t do anything,” he adds in exasperation.

PGMOL admitted a “significant human error” and Liverpool issued a statement in which they said “sporting integrity” had been undermined.

“We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR,” the club said.

Manager Jurgen Klopp even called for the game to be replayed.

Wolves have far more cause for complaint, with four high-profile penalty decisions going against them, potentially with far-reaching consequences.

Arteta stuck to his guns before Arsenal’s Champions League match against Sevilla this week, suggesting it was the duty of managers to discuss the issues around the use of VAR.

“Errors are part of evolution,” he said. “The trajectory is never going to be (always upwards), there are always going to be bumps in the road and these things are necessary to improve the game in the right way.

“But we have to talk loudly. If you have a problem and you put it in your drawer, the problem is in the drawer and it’s going to stink at some point.”

League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan says coaches want to see changes — including the video assistant referee working with the same referee each week.

“PGMOL have confirmed to us that they are actively looking at how best to incorporate VARs into match-day refereeing teams, to ensure the dynamic between on-field referee and VAR is conducive to producing positive outcomes,” Bevan told the Daily Mail.

“The managers are also calling for a review (and simplification) of the interpretation of the term ‘clear and obvious’ in VAR decision-making, as this is a cause of much confusion at present.”

Henry Winter, chief football writer for The Times, urged the Premier League to listen to the managers of its clubs.

“Anyone who attends a game or watches on television knows that VAR has never been more contentious,” he said.

“Some grown-up debate is required. The starting point is that, love it or loathe it, VAR is here to stay.

Quadri Aruna has been listed as the 15th player to qualify for the season-ending World Table Tennis Finals for the top 16 players in the world.

The Nigerian will be making his third appearance at the WTT Finals after he was confirmed on Thursday November 9, as the latest qualifier among the top 16 that are expected to compete at the event taking place in Doha, Qatar.

The WTT Finals is regarded as the peak of the WTT Series, and it provides the opportunity for the best 16 men’s players in the world to battle for a share of $340,000 prize money at stake as well as ranking points to shore up their rating for their qualification for Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Aruna remains the only African player to have featured in the WTT Finals having competed at the maiden edition in Singapore as well as the 2022 edition in China.

In his maiden outing, the Nigerian caused a major upset after beating world number eight Liang Jingkun of China 3-1 to hit the quarterfinal while he was beaten by Brazil’s Hugo Calderano to exit the tournament.

At the 2022 edition in China, he exited in the first round after losing 3-1 to world number eight Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju.

For the third consecutive edition, Aruna will be making a return to compete against the world elite players from January 3 to 5, 2024, while the Nigerian holds the record as the first African to hit the quarterfinal of the tournament.

In the list of confirmed players made public by WTT, Aruna has been included as the latest qualifiers to join the squad heading to Doha.

Players that had already booked for spots at the tournament include Fan Zhendong (China), Wang Chuqin (China), Ma Long (China), Hugo Calderano (Brazil), Liang Jingkun (China), Lin Yun-Yu (Chinese Taipei), Felix Lebrun (France), Lin Gaoyuan (China), Jang Woojin (South Korea), Lin Shidong (China), Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany), Dang Qiu (Germany) and Darko Jorgic (Slovenia).

The battle for sole slot will be between Anton Kallberg (Sweden) and Marcos Freitas (Portugal) while the only option for Freitas to steal the spot from Kallberg is if he reaches the final of WTT Feeder Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal later this month.

Doha, renowned for its record of hosting world-class international sporting and WTT events, will host the best 16 men’s singles and eight men’s doubles pairs at the Lusail Arena as the stars of WTT compete for the 1500 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Points on offer and the chance to be crowned season-ending champions.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Sociedad all qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games to spare on Wednesday.

They join holders Manchester City and RB Leipzig, both of whom secured their progress on Tuesday, in clinching spots in the knockout phase.

Record 14-time winners Real Madrid swanned into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Braga to maintain their 100 percent record.

Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes were on target for the Spanish giants, who sealed progress from Group C even without rested top goalscorer Jude Bellingham.

Brazilian wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo have been criticised for their lack of goals this season and both responded with classy finishes to help send their team through after Diaz opened the scoring.

Madrid have four wins from four games, leading the group on 12 points ahead of Napoli, second on seven after a 1-1 draw with bottom team Union Berlin.

Los Blancos goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga suffered an injury in the warm-up, with Andriy Lunin stepping in to replace him.

The Ukrainian was immediately called into action, diving to his right to palm away Alvaro Djalo’s penalty in the sixth minute.

Lucas Vazquez had pulled Cristian Borja down in the area, but the Portuguese side could not take advantage from the spot.

At the other end Diaz had a goal ruled out for a foul by Vinicius, but the former Manchester City midfielder did not have to wait too long for another, this time valid.

Sent through on the left side of the area, Rodrygo cut the ball back to Diaz who fired into the roof of the net from close range to break the deadlock.

The 24-year-old broke out into sarcastic celebration, drawing a VAR screen as if to dare the officials to try and disallow this strike.

Diaz, operating in Bellingham’s usual attacking midfield role, did well on a rare start and was involved in most of Madrid’s forward moves.

Bellingham, who has netted 13 times in 14 games since his summer switch, watched on from the bench as Ancelotti let him recover from a shoulder problem he suffered in the Rayo draw.

Diaz should have struck again but was denied by a superb double save from Benfica goalkeeper Matheus early in the second half.

Vinicius netted the second before the hour mark, with some clever movement and footwork in the box and then a smooth low finish.

It was his fourth goal of the season across all competitions in 12 games, low by his own standards, but Ancelotti has predicted he and Rodrygo will outscore Bellingham by the end of the campaign.

Rodrygo netted Madrid’s third with an exquisite chipped finish after his compatriot Vinicius played him in, with Ancelotti celebrating on the sidelines.

The coach advocated patience for his dynamic duo up front and both paid him back with goals that delighted the Santiago Bernabeu.

Lunin thwarted former Barcelona striker Abel Ruiz in stoppage time with an excellent save to keep out his header and preserve Madrid’s clean sheet.

AFP

Union Berlin claimed their first ever point in the Champions League on Wednesday after escaping against Napoli with a 1-1 draw on a day of fan tensions in southern Italy.

Urs Fischer’s team snapped a 12-match losing streak thanks to David Fofana’s 52nd-minute rebound finish, his first goal for Union since arriving on loan from Chelsea. The goal secured a hard-fought draw against the Italian champions.

Union stay bottom of Group C, six points behind second-placed Napoli and are unlikely to reach the last 16 but cheered the rowdy fans who packed the away end at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after clashes with police and home supporters in the lead-up to the match.

“We’ll take a very important point, but we can’t rest on our laurels,” Union defender Leonardo Bonucci told Sky Sport in Italy.

“We conceded a really unfortunate goal… it kind of summed up what we’ve been going through. But we reacted really well as a team.

“We knew we could hit them on the break as Napoli play very open and we were rewarded.”

Napoli would have taken a big step towards the knockout stage with a win and looked set to do just that when Matteo Politano diverted home the hosts’ 39th-minute opener.

Instead, Rudi Garcia’s side are two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who can qualify from the group with a home win over Braga later on Wednesday.

Napoli, who dominated the match but struggled to create against a well-drilled Union defence, are still in a strong position to qualify as they are four points ahead of Braga.

But the draw was greeted more like a defeat, especially for the way Napoli were caught wide open on the break for Fofana’s leveller, scored after Alex Meret pushed away Sheraldo Becker’s powerful effort on goal.

Napoli next travel to Madrid and now face a nervier time trying to get out of the group with Braga coming to Naples in their final group match.

“We should have managed our lead better. We weren’t in position, so we were caught by the counter-attack,” said captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo to Sky.

“We have to take the draw but it’s a shame as I think we definitely deserved the win. But qualification is still on.”

Wednesday’s match was preceded by supporter disorder in Naples as police arrested 11 Germans after around 300 Union ultras rampaged through the centre of Naples on Tuesday in similar scenes to when Eintracht Frankfurt fans ran amok in the city in March.

Tensions continued in the run-up to and during the match, with scuffles outside the stadium and Napoli fans pelting fireworks at the away end throughout the first half of a match which ended with the Union faction celebrating a historic point.

AFP

The 2023-2024 Champions League matchday four fixtures played on Tuesday, November 7, ended as most football enthusiasts had expected with little or no surprises except at Volksparkstadion.

Borussia Dortmund opened the matchday with an expected 2-0 victory over Premier League side, Newcastle United, courtesy of a first-half goal from Niclas Füllkrug, and a second-half goal from Julian Brandt.

The biggest stunner of the day happened at Volksparkstadion, in Hamburg, Germany, the temporary home ground of the Ukrainian club, Shakhtar Donetsk. To the dismay of many, the Ukrainian side stunned FC Barcelona with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Danylo Sikan’s 40th-minute strike.

At San Siro, Paris Saint Germain took the lead in the 9th minute in the presence of AC Milan home fans. The early goal from Milan Škriniar made it look like it was going to be a whitewash for AC Milan who were on the verge of crashing out of the competition, but a 12th-minute equalizer from Rafael Leão balanced things up speedily.

In the 50th minute, Olivier Giroud proved to be a true starman by stepping up to score the match-decider as PSG left the Italian city with no point.

Below are all the results of the Champions League matchday four games played on Tuesday, November 7:

Dortmund vs Newcastle
2-0

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona
1-0

Atlético de Madrid vs Celtic
6-0

Lazio vs Feyenoord
1-0

Milan vs PSG
2-1

Man City vs Young Boys
3-0

Crvena Zvezda vs Leipzig
1-2

Porto vs Royal Antwerp
2-0

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently proposed to the National Assembly a N2. 18 trillion supplementary budget - the details of which have generated much interest in the public domain, especially those aspects of the supplementary budget relating to expenditures not considered of urgent importance but now reintroduced into the existing framework.  During the campaigns for the 2023 Presidential election, Tinubu as candidate had promised that he as someone with a financial background would pay careful attention to Nigeria’s borrowing profile, and that he would not increase the country’s debt burden by borrowing more for reasons of consumption. At the time, Nigeria’s debt burden was a problem: external debt stock was about $41. 69 billion in 2022, domestic public debt stock was in excess of US$100 billion. 

The country’s Debt Management Office (DMO) even argued that the debt was sustainable, and that Nigeria in fact had one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in Africa- in 2022, debt to GDP ratio in Africa was 56%, in Nigeria 38%. It was argued that Nigeria’s debt-carrying capacity was still strong. The World Bank recommends a tolerable debt-GDP ratio of 77%. We were told that debt should not be a problem, after all, the United States has a debt-GDP ratio of over 120 per cent and the country still functions. The counter-point to this, however, is the debt-service ratio. It was established by professional economists and the opposition in 2023, that debt-service was/is the major problem. By 2021, Nigeria was spending about 19% of its revenue on debt service; in 2023, this had increased to more than 90%. Nigeria, in 2023, had the fourth lowest revenue-GDP ratio in the world. Government revenue as a percentage of GDP is indeed abysmally low. With uncertainties in oil and gas revenues, and crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, Nigeria today is not so certain about its revenues. The default position has been to pay more attention to tax revenue. 

Given this background, it is right to assume that the major priority for the Tinubu administration would be to address Nigeria’s debt burden and not worsen it, manage inherited circumstances prudently and give the people hope that there is truly a new dispensation in town. Nigerians during the elections beyond partisan considerations had hoped that the new administration that would emerge would reduce the cost of poverty, generate employment, promote economic growth, give jobs to the people, and generally reduce the cost of governance. There seems to have been a pervasive consensus that Nigeria is on the brink of insolvency, and that a new government by whatever label must act differently. The problem is not that President Tinubu asked for a supplementary budget.  The questions are what for? how and why? At the recent Presidential retreat for leaders of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), long awaited, unnecessarily delayed but better later than never all the same, the President said that borrowing is not a crime and that he was determined to borrow and increase Nigeria’s debt profile more or less. Even the dumbest economist on the street would tell you that countries can always borrow, but such borrowings must place the country in a situation where it can pay its debts, create budget surpluses, invest in infrastructure and support small businesses. A country can also borrow to diversify the economy for tangible benefits. No serious country borrows for luxury, consumption, or to indulge the taste of the men in power.

The current controversy about the Tinubu administration’s request for a N2.18 trillion supplementary budget must be seen in this light. The Communication process has been bad. The management of the aftermath has been negligent. The details go beyond what is in the public domain. The breakdowns show that the Federal Government is looking for more money  for the Defence headquarters, the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Navy, Nigerian Airforce, Defence Intelligence Agency, Police Formations and Command, the Federal Capital City Administration, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services,  State House, Federal Ministry of Works,, construction of Highways in the North East, North West, South East, South West, South South,  Agriculture, Bridges Intervention, and the  Federal Ministry of Housing. It must be noted that Nigerians have not complained about aspects of this supplementary budget that would be of benefit to the Nigerian people. They have complained however about aspects of the budget relating to luxury items particularly with regard to the needs of the Nigerian Presidency namely, the proposed request for N4 billion  for the renovation of the residential quarters for the President in Abuja;  renovation of the residential quarters of the Vice President (Abuja) – N2.5 billion;  Renovation of Dodan Barracks, Lagos, Official Residence of the President  - N4 billion, Renovation of Official Quarters of the VP (Lagos) – N3 bn, Construction of Office Complex in the Presidential Villa  - N4bn; Purchase of Presidential Yacht – N5 bn; Purchase of Vehicles for the Office of First Lady -  N1.5 bn; Purchase of SUVs for the Presidential Villa - N2.9bn, and Replacement of Operational Vehicles for the Presidency – N2.9 bn. These details have sparked outrage, and in an understandable sense. 

When President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, he declared to Nigerians that fuel subsidy was gone. This has brought great and untold hardship upon the people: increase in the cost of living, with headline inflation now at over 26%, the highest in 18 years, crisis with the Naira which has been yo-yo-ing, against the dollar, further driving up the cost of living and the widespread pandemic of poverty in the country. The consistent message by the Tinubu administration is that the people should be prepared to make necessary sacrifice: things may be rough, we have been told, but they will get better surely, so we the people, must be patient. The sheer commonsense of it would be that while the people of Nigeria are facing serious hardship, their leaders who are prescribing austerity would also demonstrate that they are with them, on their side, and ready to suffer along with the people until the country gets out of the woods. More so, they have a President who has been there at the battle front of democracy, at the barricades, and who cannot claim that he does not understand how the people feel. His wife even recently boasted that she and her family do not need Nigeria’s money. So, what is the problem? Why do they want new cars and renovated quarters? Why can’t they wait? 

The problem is that the President is sending wrong signals with regard to the issues highlighted above that need to be addressed. There is a tendency for people in government to live in the Rose Garden and dismiss the people as ignorant. This would be a wrong approach as it was in the past, as it is now, as it would always be. The people have both the need and the right to know. At the risk of over-simplification, it is the duty of government to continuously explain to the people and re-build their trust and confidence, even when the matter appears mundane, self-evident, and self-explanatory. One of the major risks of democracy is that those who govern may be dealing with a patently dumb population, but the people must never be treated as dumb, because they may be quick to learn and ask the right questions and their dumbness could become historical wisdom. True sovereignty in that regard belongs to the people. Power belongs to the people as the lesson has been learnt in such places as France in 1789, 1830, and 1848 and in Brazil in 1835, 1964 and 1972.   

It is therefore important to listen carefully to what the people of Nigeria are saying. They seem to be saying that it is wrong for President Tinubu to tell them during the campaigns that brought him into office that he will reduce Nigeria’s debt stock, and would focus more on productivity, to now come around and announce that borrowing is not a crime. Nobody has ever said that borrowing is a crime. It is what you do with it that matters, and when you make a promise, you keep it – a matter of honour. We admit that most of the details in the supplementary budget are not controversial, except those sections relating to luxury. New vehicles for the office of the First Lady! What on earth is that? An average Nigerian who is finding it difficult to buy ordinary recharge card, or buy fuel, is bound to ask.  They didn’t vote for Mrs.Tinubu, they seem to be asking. So why should her office show up in the budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Again, the State House wants to change vehicles? Nigerians have had cause to draw attention to the example of President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia who refused to change official vehicles after assuming office. There is a video of the Zambia President out there which simply says he wants to serve not to indulge in the pleasures of office. For those who are in doubt, at least one Nigerian newspaper has written a full editorial on the subject: The Daily Trust asks: “Why should the Presidency make a budget for a new fleet of cars for the First Lady’s entourage? What happened to the vehicles used by former First Lady Aisha Buhari? What happened to the pool cars used by former President Muhammadu Buhari? What happened to the cars used by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo? How many times will the Presidential lodges be renovated?” (Monday, Nov. 6). But what really stands out, and made to look like a scandal is the reported plan to buy a yacht for the President under the budget of the Nigerian Navy. A Yacht for the President, at a time when the people find it difficult to pay for transportation? The outrage has been loud and deafening 

As it happened, the House of Representatives resolved that the N5 billion earmarked for this yacht should be added to the proposed supplementary budget for students’ loans – in itself another controversial proposal, with the details so opaque. A budget is a proposal after all. It is not binding until it is appropriated by the National Assembly. But the narrative that later came out is that the controversial Presidential Naval Yacht was actually ordered by the Nigerian Navy under the previous Buhari administration. It was delivered in June 2023. It showed up in the 2022 Supplementary Budget proposed by President Tinubu because Nigeria has an obligation to pay on delivery. International transactions are governed by strict laws under the rules of international trade. Without being pedantic by quoting the rules and structures of international trade, it looks like in this particular transaction, Nigeria has bought itself a Presidential yacht. The country has an obligation to pay. The documents of sale have been received. The yacht has been delivered, and this really looks like a CIF sale. The seller is not obliged to worry about Nigeria’s domestic politics. The details of the contract of sale not being in the public domain, this is the best assumption that can be made. 

However, what Nigerians must note is that Nigeria used to have a Presidential Yacht. Nigeria had a yacht called NNC Runa Yaro. It was later named AMARIYA.  The luxury boat was seized from a former Governor of Rivers State and handed over to the Nigerian Navy. It was re-purposed for both luxury and training operations. President Shehu Shagari used it. General Babangida also travelled with the yacht once to the Republic of Benin to attend an ECOWAS meeting. President Olusegun Obasanjo hosted visiting Presidents on the vessel.  In 2011, the vessel was decommissioned. Indeed in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari had asked for the vessel to be used to take the Prince of Wales to sea only to be told that the vessel had been decommissioned. The Nigerian Navy was then told to source for a new option. This is the background, but it is not even the entire story. There is another story that the Nigerian Navy had in fact as far back as June 2010 asked the Nigerian Government, Dr Goodluck Jonathan was President at the time to review the Presidential Naval fleet and buy a new yacht ahead of the country’s 50^th Independence celebrations. President Jonathan reportedly turned down the request.  

Nigerians are angry again because not even the United States has a presidential yacht. The last Presidential yacht in the US, the USS Sequoia was decommissioned in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter and sold off. The key difference is that whereas the Americans have many options, most Nigerian Naval vessels cannot function. They are like the refineries. Even our flagship NNS Aradu cannot move, and with that being the case, Nigerians have every reason to be angry that anyone at all can talk about a yacht, the simple dictionary definition of which is about pleasure and luxury! Should there be a military challenge against Nigeria tomorrow, are we likely to go to the battle field with a luxury boat and Big Brother Naija actors? But we have bought a luxury boat guys, and we are obliged to pay for it. While other countries of the world are getting serious, we are busy thinking of luxury for staff and wives and…What a country!  No yacht for President Tinubu.  

Nigeria’s FIFA badge referee, Yemisi Akintoye, has been selected for the 2023 African Women’s Champions League taking place in Cote d’Ivoire from 5 to 19 November.
The University of Lagos graduate was one of the 17 referees shortlisted across Africa and one of the 12 selected after an intensive one-week pre-tournament course.

A statement on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday confirmed Akintoye’s participation alongside other referees at the 2023 African Women’s Champions League.

It said Akintoye would be officiating alongside Salma Musaganda of Rwanda who was the first African woman referee to officiate at the men’s World Cup.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akintoye was badged as a FIFA Referee in 2021.

She has been at a few international competitions which include, the WAFU Women Champion’s League and the Aisha Buhari Tournament, among others.

(NAN)

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has failed with his prediction.

The cleric had predicted the Premier League clash between Luton and Liverpool.

Shockingly, his prediction failed.

In a video that went viral on Saturday, a day before the game, the cleric said the Reds would claim a routine win at Kenilworth Road.

“Liverpool will beat Luton very well. Liverpool will beat them with more than two goals,” he said.

However, Liverpool needed a last-gasp equaliser to draw 1-1 with Luton.

Chong had given the hosts a lead late in the game before Luis Diaz came off the bench to rescue a point for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Video:

Novak Djokovic had a really good week at the 2023 Paris Masters, winning the trophy, and he referred to a stomach virus as his biggest opposition when it came to himself on the court.

It was a brilliant week for Djokovic in Paris, but it was not a week without problems. He faced tough opposition in a lot of his matches and dealt with some stomach issues on top of all of that.

In the end, none of that matters as he leaves the French capital with the trophy after beating Grigor Dimitrov in the final. A particularly striking thing was his physical resilience despite all of these problems.

At 36, Djokovic isn't the youngest anymore, but he worked hard to be physically ready, and it worked out well for him as he outlasted all of them.

Yeah, it could be the case. I really put a lot of effort into preparing myself for this last stretch of the season. Spent three, four weeks of really working on the tennis court and of course on my fitness. You know, I'm feeling great in terms of my body.

Things went so well for Djokovic that he jokingly referred to a stomach virus as his biggest problem this entire week, and he's not entirely wrong. He knows how to win tennis matches; however, beating a stomach virus isn't that easy.

you know, it was this virus that was really the biggest opposition, so to say, this week in terms of me feeling well on the court. That was something that is kind of outstanding, you know, that is not something that I'm normally encountering.

He will need some of that Paris magic for Turin. The event is about a week away, which is good enough to recover from this and get ready for the event. He went undefeated at the event last year, so the expectations are high. They always are with Djokovic, though.

[ATP]